What a parenting coordinator can do for you and your co-parent
If you find it difficult to communicate with your co-parent, a parenting coordinator can be a useful person to help effectively manage your children’s everyday concerns. In the face of a divorce, everyday parenting decisions can seem like an inefficient (and expensive) use of your time. Parenting coordinators are here to help.
Parents of any marital status could find a parent coordinator’s services useful. If you would like to communicate with your co-parent better, or improve your children’s communication skills, they may be the solution.
What is a parenting coordinator?
A parenting coordinator can help with almost any situation and come up with a solution that is unique to your family. Their qualifications include:
- An attorney’s license for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Practiced family law for 5+ years
- Sufficiently trained in this field
They can help with the following:
- Avoid time in the courtroom
- Arrange discussions and help steer the conversation
- Create a parenting plan
- Monitor compliance with a parenting plan
- Educate on parenting methods or offer parenting resources
- Help resolve disagreements or disputes
- Reduce stress by fostering better communication skills
The more you can resolve disputes together and away from the children, the happier your home life can be. This can be a role modeling opportunity to teach your children positive communication skills. They can help your family dive deeper into the root of a family conflict and help create a positive solution.
A parenting coordinator can be especially useful if your co-parent is out of state or overseas. Their services may be court-appointed, or you could seek their services voluntarily. However, as much as they help resolve family conflict, they do not provide psychiatric services and cannot directly alter a court’s custody order. Their decisions or actions could be used in court or be subject to court review.
Parenting coordinators can act as a responsible messenger to help shape your parenting plan. This removes the burden from your children, who often take on this role out of a subconscious desire to keep everyone happy. Ideally, they can set up a manageable plan that irons out the wrinkles in everyday parenting decisions and help you build a happier home.